


Weight of Lives

by Fanatic_weirdo



Series: Lightwood-Bane Family [24]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Depressed Magnus Bane, Hurt Magnus Bane, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Sorry, Loving Marriage, M/M, Powerful Magnus Bane, Protective Alec Lightwood, Worried Alec Lightwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-11-01 10:23:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17865518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fanatic_weirdo/pseuds/Fanatic_weirdo
Summary: Magnus feels like he has failed, unable to save a young Warlock and it makes getting up the next day next to impossible. Luckily he has his husband to hold him together. And an emergency shows him how one mistake doesn't equal failure.





	Weight of Lives

Alec knew today would be a bad day for Magnus. 

Magnus hadn’t been able to save a young Warlock from her demon father last night and it had hit him hard. He’d sobbed himself to sleep after the boys were presumably asleep in their rooms. They were teenagers now and both men knew they wouldn’t always fall straight to sleep, but at least there are two magical sound barriers between them. 

The next morning, Alec’s kiss on his back only earned a quiet whimper and had Magnus burying deeper into the blanket. 

“Not today, huh,” Alec whispered, running his hand through Magnus’s hair, as he pressed his lips on Magnus’s shoulder several times. “I’ll text Izzy and then come back once the boys are gone, okay?” Alec wasn’t really expecting an answer but he knew his husband had heard him when Magnus sighed and moved closer at Alec as much as he could closer, snuggling into his warmth. “I know, Baby, I know,” he said softly. “I love you; you are the most amazing person I’ve ever met,” Magnus whined again at Alec’s words. “I’ll be back,” he promised, hardly able to pull himself away from his distressed husband. He grabbed his phone as soon as he sat up and sent a text to both Jace and Izzy. Magnus is having a bad day. I can’t stand the thought of leaving him. Can you guys handle today? Call me if you need me? He knew it was hardly necessary. Jace and Izzy could easily deal with the Institute, but he always checked. He turned back to Magnus, lying back next to him and nuzzling his face into Magnus’s neck, inhaling his smell deeply, kissing the skin there once again. 

He did finally pull himself away after about half a minute and stood, pulling on a pair of sweatpants and tank top and sticking his phone in his pocket before heading to the kitchen. He turned on the coffee pot and then headed down the hall to wake up the boys. Rafael was already sitting on the bed with his feet on the floor, tiredness still on his face. 

“Hey kiddo,” Alec greeted him with a smile. 

Rafael grunted, scrubbing his face, “Why are mornings a thing?” 

Alec chuckled, “I’ll let you know once I find out.” He smiled before heading to his other son’s room.

Rafael had always been more independent than Max, so Max was going to be more of a struggle to wake up. Sure enough, the blue Warlock was still burrowed in his comforter, soft snores coming out of him. “Blueberry,” Alec knocked on the door before entering the room. It would take more than his name and knocking for the stubborn boy to be awoken. “Max,” Alec tried as he shook him gently over the covers. The snores stopped and turned into an angry growl. “Come on now, I don’t like being awake at this hour any more than you do, but it’s Institute day!” Getting to go to the Institute always made it a little easier to get him going. Sure enough Max’s hummed quietly though he still didn’t move. “Come on, I’ll make you blueberry pancakes,” Alec bribed. This got no audible reaction but the blanket over his face came down, one eye half open. “Knew that would get your attention,” Alec chuckled. Max grumbled and scrubbed his face in his pillow again. “You have 30 seconds to be on your feet or that offer is off the table and I dump a cup of cold water on you,” Alec threatened lightly. 

“Where is Papa? He’s never this mean to me!” Max claimed as Alec kissed his head. 

“Mmm Papa is having a bad day, so you’re stuck with me,” Alec explained. Ever since Rafael started having these sorts of days, Alec and Magnus were more open with the boys about their own days. Still Max fully awoke and looked at his father, his eyes filled with worry, earning a smile from Alec. “I’m staying home with him. He’ll be okay,” he promised. Max still made a noise of displeasure, as he always did when it came to his family’s depression. “Come on, up and at it,” he patted the bed at Max’s hip. 

Max sat up, rubbing his eyes, “I want 4,” he gave his pancake order. 

“Yes, Sir,” Alec bowed dramatically, making Max roll his eyes but chuckle as Alec exited the room to get on the pancakes he’d promised. They always kept blueberries in the house because of their own Blueberry’s addiction. Rafael was in the kitchen, working on his own addiction and pouring himself a cup of coffee.

“I hate that you’re 15 and on that stuff,” Alec claimed, kissing Rafael’s hair. 

“It’s more sugar than coffee,” he claimed with a shrug.

“That doesn’t make it better,” Alec replied even as he watched Rafael pour in several tablespoons of sugar into the black liquid. “I’m making pancakes,” he explained, pulling the ingredients out of the cabinet. 

“Can you make mine without blueberries,” Rafael asked, getting a nod in response. They stood for a moment in comfortable quiet. Rafael knew if Alec wasn’t wearing work clothes it meant he wasn’t coming in and there were few reasons why that would be the case. He was one of them, the other was… “Pops doing okay,” Rafael asked softly. 

“Bad day,” Alec stated what Rafael already knew. “The demon got the better of him yesterday,” Alec admitted quietly. 

Rafael flinched but nodded with a heavy sigh, leaning against the counter. Alec’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out to read We’ll be fine. Tell him we love him. It was from Izzy, Alec sent her a purple love heart back before turning back to the batter. “Do you need me to do anything at work today,” Rafael asked.

“Make sure Max doesn’t burn the place down?” Alec said with a chuckle.

“I resent that! It was one time and it was not my fault!” Max joined them in the kitchen. Both Shadowhunters laughed, making Max pout even as he ate several blueberries from the carton.

“I swear, that’s why you’re blue. It’s not your mark; it’s because you eat more blueberries than anyone should,” Rafael teased. Max stuck his nose up at him and chewed dramatically, making Rafael roll his eyes. 

“Were you going to shower or can I go bake my organs,” Max asked. 

“That is so bad for you,” Rafael chided, “But go for it. I showered last night.”

“Great!” 

The boys were dressed, fed, and portaled out 30 minutes later, sending Alec back into their room. Magnus hadn’t moved but there were tears on his face. Alec’s heart ached as he wiped them away. Magnus slowly opened his eyes to see his husband’s concerned face. “I don’t deserve this life,” Magnus whispered. “Hearing you three in the kitchen, I’m so lucky but I couldn’t save her. She didn’t get the chance to have what I have. It’s not fair.” 

Alec laid down on the bed, facing Magnus’s pained face, “Shhh, shhh,” he wrapped his arms around Magnus. “We aren’t going to win them all, you know that. What happened wasn’t your fault. You came into it half way, the battle was already won, but you still fought with everything you had. No one could have asked more than that.” Magnus’s tears fell faster at Alec’s comfort, which he felt he didn’t deserve. Logically he knew it indeed wasn’t his fault but he still felt like a failure. “And it doesn’t matter if you think you deserve the three of us or not. We love you, so you’re welcome to try, but I will go to the ends of the earth to get you back, so just stay with us so I don’t have, yeah?” 

Magnus blinked up at the man he loved so much he could hardly breathe. The hazel eyes were filled with love, concern, and sadness, all for Magnus. Magnus’s eyes slipped shut again and he got as close as he could to Alec. Alec finished the distance so that they were pressed together as close as possible, skin touching skin, their noses and foreheads touching. Alec brushed their lips together. 

“Can I do anything to make it better,” Alec asked softly. 

Magnus shook his head, knowing Alec would feel it, “You’re doing it.” 

Alec held Magnus tightly until his crying had subsided into stuttering breathes and then stabilized into slower breaths. After a few minutes Alec looked down to find Magnus had fallen asleep in his arms, which was a small relief. 

It was another two-ish hours when Alec heard Magnus’s phone buzz repeatedly from its place on the nightstand. Alec hadn’t moved except to run his fingers through his hair, but he knew the phone was likely to wake Magnus up. The buzzing of his phone didn’t wake him the first time, but the second set of vibrations did get the Warlock’s attention, causing him to groan. 

Alec kissed his head, “I’ll get it,” he said as he reached over, as carefully as he could to not jostle his husband whose eyes were slowly blinking open. The phone had stopped vibrating once again but Alec grabbed it anyway and looked at the caller. “It’s Vanya,” Alec reported. Magnus sighed heavily and reached for the phone to call back, but it once again started buzzing, the young Warlock’s name flashing on the screen once again. “I got it,” Alec said, answering the call. He had half a mind to yell at the caller before he even said ‘hello’, but he knew he couldn’t. Magnus was a powerful Warlock and a leader to his people. He was constantly needed to solve any number of other people’s problems. Always forced to set aside his own feelings, his own struggles to go charging in and fix other people. 

“Third times the charm, huh, Vanya,” Alec said with a slight smirk. He did have a certain affection for the man on the other side of the phone.

“Alec! Um…I was—did I call the wrong phone,” he asked. 

“No, this is Magnus’s phone, but he’s a little under the weather, so I’m taking care of him. What did you need,” Alec asked, Magnus meeting his eyes. Alec could see the request and he put the phone between them and pressed the speaker button. 

“I fucked up,” Vanya admitted. Alec sighed, rolling his eyes, “I made a potion for mundane woman with the sight—a mother of a toddler—to help the kid eat better. The little guy is way underweight so she wanted me to make a little booster. Problem is…I put dried earthworm instead of dried inch worm and I—” 

Magnus sat up abruptly, Alec immediately putting his hand on Magnus’s chest, in an attempt to hold him down. “The kid will die if we don’t fix this,” Magnus said, his voice scratchy and exhausted sounding. “I can’t lose another one,” he whispered, unsure if Vanya could hear or not. 

Alec sighed heavily, “Has the mother been informed?”

“Yeah…but she’s already given him two doses, which is why I needed you, Magnus,” Vanya said, sounding guilty and ashamed. 

“Fucking hell,” Magnus muttered. “Where is the kid?”

“On-on the way to your place?” Vanya said quietly. 

“VANYA!” Alec screeched roared. Magnus flinched at the loudness and Alec instantly whispered a soft apology.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know what else to do!” Vanya cried.

“You did the right thing. Meet us here in 10 minutes,” Magnus ordered before ending the call. 

“Babe,” Alec said, Magnus knew Alec felt this was a bad idea. He was in no mindset to do extensive spells, but he didn’t really have a choice. He was going to save this kid. 

“I know. But I can’t let this kid die because I don’t want to get out of bed,” Magnus said softly, kissing Alec’s lips softly. Alec nodded. He knew the second Vanya started speaking that Magnus would have to act, but that certainly didn’t mean he had to like it. Magnus sighed heavily, as he looked at Alec who smiled as encouragingly as he could. “You worry too much, Darling,” he said with a forced smile that he’d perfected over the past few hundred years. 

“Someone has to,” Alec said, partly teasing, and partly serious. Magnus smirked lightly and cupped Alec’s cheek before snapping his fingers and they were both clean and dressed, Magnus in his fancy ‘work’ clothes, Alec in slacks, a tee-shirt and a dark blue blazer. Warlock issue or not, Magnus felt if Alec was in the room with a client of his, he should always look like the Head of the Institute. 

“Okay,” Magnus said, closing his eyes for a moment. “I can do this. It’s a simple detox spell. This little boy will be fine. Vanya will learn from his mistakes and—” 

“And I will be by your side the entire time,” Alec promised, Magnus exhaled in relief and nodded. The darkness still hung heavily over the older man, still weighing him down, but as Alec stood up, he found the ability to do the same. Alec held out his hand and Magnus took it, using it to hold himself up, as an anchor and a reminder that he was not alone. “But if it’s so simple, why can’t Vanya do it himself? He’s what- 100? Shouldn't he be able to detox this little boy?”

“You would think, but potions can be tricky, and if you don’t get every ounce of the incorrect ingredient out of the him, then he could make it worse. And I’m much older,”

“So why not call Catarina?”

“Because she’s not Vanya’s biggest fan, and anyway I think she’s at the hospital,” Magnus said, sighing heavily, “Point is, I am the best option, so we’re going to do this.”

The mother, clutching her clearly small for his age toddler in her arms, tears streaming down her face, knocked on the door frantically. Alec opened the door quickly, the woman looked at him before he motioned to Magnus. Half a second later a portal opened and Vanya stepped through and the woman ran in. 

“Vanya!” she cried. 

Magnus stepped forward, holding his hands out in a calming gesture, “Hello, I’m Magnus Bane. We’re going to reverse the potion. I’ll give you the correct one and he’ll be gaining weight again by the end of the day, okay?”

His tone was soothing and comforting. Alec watched with awe, as he always did whenever he was given the opportunity to watch Magnus work. His husband really was incredible. 

“Please, please help him!” she whimpered, rushing up to Magnus who looked at the little boy who smiled shyly at him.

“Hello, what’s your name,” Magnus asked, a smile that he reserved for children on his lips.

“His name is Ahmed,” the woman responded, calming the slightest bit when her son grunted at Magnus. 

“Hello, Ahmed, I’m Magnus, and this is my husband, Alec,” Magnus said, speaking to him in a happy cadence, making Ahmed reach for Magnus. Magnus grinned and with raised eyebrows, asked for permission to take him. The mother handed him off reluctantly, but also knew that was what was best. Alec understood, when his boys were in danger or sick, they usually had to be pried out of his hands. “Has he showed any reaction to the other potion,” Magnus asked, smiling as he pretended to tickle Ahmed when really he was checking his stomach and sides for abnormalities. The little boy squealed at being tickled, making Alec smile. A baby that could laugh couldn’t be feeling so bad. 

“He’s thinner,” the mother admitted, her hand over her mouth. 

“Not vomiting though,” Magnus asked, letting the little boy take his hand in his fist and pat it playfully. 

“No, I didn’t even really think anything was wrong until Vanya called me,” she said. 

Magnus smiled, “That is because thankfully this was caught very early and we’re going to fix it right up.” He smiled at Ahmed, “How’s that little man? We’ll get you all fixed up?” Ahmed grinned at him, not knowing what was going on but clearly not unhappy. “Wanna go back to Mama,” he asked Ahmed who immediately threw himself towards his mother’s outstretched arms, making her laugh, even through her tears. “So what I’m going to do is detox him. I’ll use my healing magic which is blue, to pull the potion out of him,” he explained to the mother. 

“Wh-What will it feel like to him,” she asked nervously.

“It feels warm, like a heating pad going over you, with a slight tingling sensation, but it’s pleasant,” Alec interjected. “There is nothing painful involved,” he swore. The mother looked at him, searching his face for ulterior motives before looking back at Magnus and nodding. 

Magnus looked at Alec, who smiled and nodded reassuringly. Magnus could see the belief in him in his husband’s eyes, as if he had no doubt Magnus could save the world if he put his mind to it. He knew that was the truth and it was vastly overwhelming. He turned back to Ahmed and his mother and began pushing magic into the child. 

“He’s going to get drowsy and fall asleep soon, but don’t worry, that’s supposed to happen,” Magnus informed the mother who nodded. Sure enough, after a couple minutes Ahmed hummed and his eyes started drooping. After about 15 minutes Alec saw Magnus’s eyes change ever so slightly and he knew Magnus was getting tired. Normally he could go much longer without getting even slightly winded, but not after yesterday and this morning. 

“I’ve got you,” Alec whispered as he sat quietly next to Magnus and offered his hand. Magnus looked at it for a moment before taking it with a grateful look. Vanya frowned for a moment before remembering that Alec had said Magnus hadn’t felt well. 

Luckily it only took another 15 minutes before Magnus stopped his magic and smiled, still not removing his hand from Alec’s; on the contrary, he linked their fingers for security. 

“Now, he’ll sleep the rest of the day most likely. I gave him nourishment as well so he’ll be fine not eating the rest of the day,” Magnus explained. “Now let me go grab the potion Vanya meant to make for him, and we’ll get you home.” Magnus stood and hesitantly released Alec’s hand before going into his office.

“Do you know how much he wants for payment,” the woman asked, a quiet smile on her face as her son slept soundly. 

“Nothing,” Alec responded, looking up at Vanya. “Your worry is payment enough,” he smiled warmly at her. She was surprised and looked at Vanya confused but he nodded at her, the guilt lessening only slightly at the boy being fixed from what he’d caused. It could have been a disaster.

“A-are you sure,” the mother stuttered. 

“Sure of what,” Magnus asked as he came out of his office. 

“That you won’t be charging her,” Alec said. He knew he probably should ask first, but he knew his husband would never charge someone for another Warlock’s mistake. Now Vanya…he’d probably charge Vanya.

“Oh of course not. You were caused undue distress and I will not be adding to that by making you pay for a 30 minute session,” Magnus agreed, smiling as he sat next to Alec again. 

“You are an angel,” the mother said, her eyes filling with grateful tears.

“I’ve been telling him that for years,” Alec said, taking Magnus’s hand back in his, kissing it with a soft smile knowing even still that despite what he was able to do, the thoughts from earlier didn’t fade so easily. 

Magnus let out a quick, quiet chuckle, squeezing Alec’s hand before holding out the potion. “So this will make your baby gain the weight he’s supposed to. Two drops with every meal and he’ll be normal weight in no time. Just don’t give him more. You don’t want him getting too big,” the mother smiled and nodded at Magnus’s words, taking the potion. 

“I am so sorry, Hana, truly,” Vanya said, wringing his hands. 

Hana smiled softly, “You caught it and brought us to someone who could fix it before any harm was done, that’s all I can ask.” 

“He’s also going to refund you what you paid as well,” Magnus stated, leaving no argument from either party. 

“I’ll send it to you as soon as I get home,” Vanya agreed immediately. Hana nodded and stood carefully, her son in her arms. “I can make you a portal home,” Vanya offered, but Hana shook her head.

“Those things make me sick, and I don’t want to disturb Ahmed. I don’t live far; I can take a car,” she replied. “Thank you so much again,” she said to Magnus, nodding at Alec as well because they were clearly home together and she assumed she’d interrupted their day. 

As soon as she left Magnus deflated humming quietly as he put his head on Alec’s shoulder. “He’ll call you later, Vanya,” Alec said, giving Vanya the clue to leave. The Warlock opened his mouth to speak but a sharp look from Alec was all it took for him to make a portal and jumped into it before Magnus even lifted his head. “Want to try some food, Baby? You haven’t eaten today,” Alec asked, turning his head to kiss Magnus’s hair several times. 

“No,” Magnus whispered. 

“Well I at least want you to drink some water, okay?” He wrapped his arm around Magnus’s waist and hugged him to him. Magnus nodded into his neck, kissing his hair lightly. Alec’s hand ran up and down his back, the contact causing Magnus to relax in relief and exhaustion fully into him. 

“I love you, Alexander,” he breathed, barely speaking aloud. 

“I love you too, Magnus,” Alec responded, his hold tightening, holding him together as well as he could. They had done that for each other since the moment they met. Their bad days were always something they’d been very open with each other about. So there had never been any hiding or suffering alone. Ever since their conversation on the balcony, admitting both of their suicidal thoughts to each other, there had never been another instance where they hadn’t gone to each other instead of letting themselves get to that point. 

And yes, Alec had scars from recent arrows that were shot off into nowhere for too long, but never again did they stand on high places, never again did they even want to. They had their boys and they had each other and that was enough. 

Alec separated them after a few minutes, setting Magnus back on the couch, kissing his mouth softly before going into the kitchen and grabbing a water bottle. When he came back Magnus was looking at him with a tiny smile on his face, it was a good thing for Alec to see. 

“I have some paperwork I can get done. You want to hang out in here with me? We’ll put on RuPaul, and you can watch that while I do the boring stuff, how about that,” Alec offered as he handed Magnus the water, standing in front of him with a soft smile. Magnus nodded, leaning forward to link their hands together. “Come on, let’s get out of these clothes,” he pulled Magnus up, pecking his lips once they were on their feet. He put his arm around Magnus’s waist as he led them into their bedroom. He began unbuttoning Magnus shirt, but Magnus tried to push his hands away.

“Alexander, I’m more than capable of changing my own clothes.” 

Alec hummed, “So am I. But that has never stopped you from magicing my clothes on and off, so be still,” he teased, finishing Magnus’s top half before pulling off his own blazer and shirt. He did the same for their bottoms and then in opposing order redressed them. 

Once they were both in their comfortable clothes again they moved back into the living room. Alec grabbed his laptop while Magnus sat on the couch turning on season 6 of the old show.

“Oh good, I was hoping you’d pick either the fifth or sixth season,” Alec claimed as he sat on the couch, the laptop in his lap, his body twisted towards Magnus who did the same, putting the blanket over them, Alec putting the laptop over the blanket. Magnus leaned his head on Alec’s shoulder, as the show came on and Alec began going through emails. 

Magnus realized about 2 episodes in that Alec was grumbling at his laptop. “Stupid idiot—why can’t you ever—” The sentences weren’t complete and he was scowling at the email. Magnus looked at the laptop; it was a report that wasn’t at all what a normal report looked like. There were misspellings and details left out and parts seemed to be exaggerated. Magnus started to laugh, something about the report and Alec’s frustration made him laugh for the first time in two days. 

“Someone not know how to do a report,” Magnus asked, pressing a kiss to his shoulder.

“Yeah, and it’s someone who is old enough to know better,” Alec said, rolling his eyes as he began typing a response, but he looked over at Magnus smiling because Magnus was also smiling. 

Magnus was feeling better. He wasn’t at his best, but he didn’t want to crawl into a hole anymore. He knew he was lucky that his depression had only made a short appearance, at least this time. Still, even when Alec had finished his paperwork and had ordered Magnus’s favorite meal from their favorite takeout place, Magnus hadn’t been able to eat. He did hate the worry that put on his husband face. So he curled into Alec once he finished eating and let his presence soothe and calm him. They stayed like that the remainder of the afternoon until the sound of the boys arguing from down the hall in their building made both men turn away from the TV. Neither of them had realized how late it was. 

“No! Today is not the day, Max! You know Pops is having a bad day, so you will NOT add to it!” Rafael’s voice hissed, causing Alec and Magnus to look at each other confused and worried. 

“You don’t think I should tell them I—”

“No! Stop it!” Alec blinked in surprise. They rarely heard Rafael speaking to Max like that. Alec moved to stand, but Magnus wouldn’t let him go, so he stayed, letting the boys work out their own problems. They spoke in angered hushed tones for another few minutes before finally Max said “FINE!” and they entered the loft, stopping short at their fathers staring at them. 

“Hey,” Rafael said, “Are you doing okay,” he asked looking at Magnus.

“Of course,” he watched as Max sat next to them on the couch, leaning against Magnus and asking silently for a hug. He received it, Magnus wrapping his arms around him, kissing his head several times. “And no matter how I am feeling, you two are always more important. So, anything you want to share, we’ll listen,” Magnus raised his eyebrows. Rafael frowned and looked at Max who was looking up at him, waiting. The older brother threw up his arms and turned away, crossing his arms over his body. 

“Hey,” Alec said, reaching out and making Rafael join them. He sat on the couch’s arm, looking like the sulking teen he tried to be. “Hey grumpy,” Alec poked his side making him growl before instantly softening and sighing, scooting into the barely there space between the arm and Alec. He’d always been able to get into ridiculously small spaces. 

“So…I kinda…relocated a room today,” Max says quietly. Alec and Magnus blinked in shock for a moment sharing a knowing look between them before Max quickly went on to explain, “I returned it! Immediately! I just…I um…Aunt Izzy was being a tyrant so I—I uh wanted her and the infirmary to go away and I threw my hand in frustration and…” Max faded off, his magic sparking nervously in his hands. Magnus quickly took them in his own. “I’m so sorry, Papa, Rafe was right, this is not something you need to worry about today!”

“Are Izzy and the infirmary and its patients back where they belong,” Magnus asked, again glancing at Alec who looked back at him. They knew Max was getting powerful, every time he let his emotions take over he showed them just how powerful their son was becoming.

“Yes, I got them back really quick, no harm done! I mean…they were a little freaked out but—” Again his hand sparked but Magnus held them tightly.

“You’re getting more powerful, Maxie. I know it’s scary, but Dad and I will always be here to help you, both of you,” he looked at Rafael who had maneuvered to be curled into Alec, who had one arm around Rafael. 

“Did anyone say anything,” Alec asked Rafael quietly. 

“No. Well, Aunt Izzy said ‘Holy fucking shit’ but…”

“Language!” Alec scolded even as Rafael and Max laughed.

“You asked if anyone said anything. I’m just telling you what was said,” Rafael mouthed back with a grin.

“Little shit,” Alec muttered, ruffling his hair, making him laugh more. 

“I thought Dad told you not to let Max burn the Institute down,” Magnus teased.

“The Institute is very much intact! Fire was never involved,” Rafael defended. 

Soon all four of them were laughing, and Alec paused a moment to thank the Angel that Magnus seemed to be feeling better. After a few more moments where the boys recounted the rest of their day, Alec told them both to go change for dinner. Rafael insisted on making dinner, then paused to see if Magnus would eat it, knowing his Pops didn’t always have a great appetite on his bad days. After being told that Magnus would never miss his empanadas, Rafael grabbed Max and pushed him towards the kitchen.

Magnus lay his head on Alec’s shoulder and sighed, a small smile on his lips. “I know I said I don’t deserve the three of you, and even on the best of days, I wonder how I got so lucky, but when you three are with me at the end of the day, I know I’m going to be ok,” he whispered low enough so that only Alec could hear. Alec shifted just enough to kiss his husband’s forehead and pull him closer as the two of them watched their sons argue and tease each other in the kitchen, Rafael giving orders and Max pulling out ingredients from the fridge. 

Yeah, Magnus nodded. He was going to be ok.


End file.
